Educational institutions to remain shut till April 5; March 23
parade cancelled ; 28 corona cases confirmed
Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The National Security Committee on Friday decided to take a number of steps to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country, including closing the border with Iran and Afghanistan for 14 days and cancelling the Pakistan Day parade held annually on March 23.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, was attended by the provincial chief ministers and the civilian and military leadership. The huddle decided that Pakistan’s border entry points with Afghanistan and Iran will be closed for two weeks, the interior ministry announced.
It was also decided to close all educational institutions in the country till April 5, education minister Shafqat Mehmood tweeted.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news channel that the 23rd March parade has been cancelled. It was decided during the meeting that only three airports in the country — Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore — will be allowed to operate international flights in limited numbers, while other airports will only allow domestic flights, according to a highly placed source who attended the NSC meeting.
The pilgrims who have returned to the country from Iran will be screened again, and will be placed under quarantine if they test positive for the virus.
Officials said foreign missions in Pakistan and Pakistan’s missions abroad have been directed not to host any ceremonies or functions. Similarly, large public gatherings will be discouraged. The NSC decided to give the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) the lead role in dealing with the coronavirus threat, officials told, adding that the authority will coordinate with the provincial governments to streamline the efforts.
A system for coordination between the federal and provincial governments will also be established, the sources said. Shafqat Mehmud said that the decision will be reviewed by the Ministry of Education on March 27 and further decisions in this regard will be taken. The situation regarding closure of all educational institutions in the country would be reviewed by the Ministry of Education on 27th March and further decisions taken.
Health authorities in Sindh confirmed one more coronavirus case in the province on Friday.
The confirmation was made in a post on social networking platform Twitter by the provincial Health and Population Welfare Department.
“The 52-year-old patient arrived from Islamabad 2 days ago & was tested positive today. This brings the total number of cases to 15 in Sindh, out of which 13 are in stable condition & 2 have been discharged,” the department said.
On Thursday, a new coronavirus case had emerged in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, health department official Dr Shah Ramzan confirmed, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 20.
According to the official, the 31-year-old had returned to Pakistan on February 25 after travelling to Iran. He noted that three cases of the virus have been reported in Gilgit-Baltistan so far.
The positive diagnosis in Sindh today takes the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan to 21. Two people tested positive for the virus have recovered, while the rest are under treatment.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and other government officials, addressing a press conference to detail the decisions taken by the National Security Committee to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country, revealed that Pakistan now has 28 cases of COVID-19. The official figure of the total cases on the National Institute of Health website is 21, and it wasn’t immediately clear where the seven additional cases emerged.
“There is a lot of speculation about the total number of cases in the country. However, I can confirm that Pakistan has 28 cases of coronavirus,” said Mirza, who was accompanied by government spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan and PM’s Special Assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Yousuf.
He said the first batch of pilgrims who have returned to the country from Iran has left for provinces after completing its 14-day quarantine period at the Taftan border. The details of these pilgrims will be provided to the provincial governments, which can test or place the pilgrims under quarantine again.
It was decided during the meeting that only three airports in the country — Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore — will be allowed to operate international flights, a move intended to reduce the entry points and ensure better arrangements there.
Mirza said all large public gatherings will be banned, including weddings and conferences, for a period of two weeks.
Cinemas will also be closed while all remaining Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 matches will take place in empty stadiums. The matter of whether religious public gatherings should be banned has been referred to the religious affairs ministers and the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology.
They have been tasked with consulting with all stakeholders and give their advice to the government based on which a decision will be taken, Mirza said.
